1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an edge cutter trim tool having utility for forming a cut seam edge on a web of carpet, vinyl tile, or other sheet form material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the installation of carpet, vinyl tile, roofing membrane, and other web materials, the original stock material typically is in the form of a web article of a standard width or a series of manufactured widths, as well as standard length(s).
Accordingly, in use, these web materials must be selectively trimmed, to provide a surface area (areal extent) adapted to the dimensions of a physical space or structure to which the web material is to be applied. There have been numerous edge trimmer articles and seam cutter devices proposed in the art, but all are characterizable by deficiencies in respect of their cost, complexity, ease of manufacture and ease of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,508 issued Oct. 11, 1994 to David H. Baker discloses a border cutter for use with a cutter blade carrier for cutting a strip of carpet, the carrier having a blade plate for a cutting blade, the border cutter including a surface plate for movement along a piece of carpet, and having a guide edge and a cutting blade opening normal to the guide edge, and having spaced guides with aligned slots for receiving the carrier plate for positioning a blade at the blade opening. The spaced guides extend parallel to the blade opening, with each guide having a plurality of slots extending therealong in alignment with the slots of the other guide, providing a plurality of locations on the surface plate for the blade carrier. One of the spaced guides includes a channel for receiving a guide toe plate of a blade carrier support of the blade carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,673 issued Dec. 18, 1990 to Eugene E. Altizer describes an apparatus for cutting a roofing membrane including a frame, means coupled to the frame for facilitating movement of the frame over a roofing membrane, a blade coupled to the frame for cutting the roofing membrane, and a guide member coupled to the frame for guiding the frame over the membrane. The guide member may include an edge guide and a bar coupling the edge guide to the frame. The edge guide is adapted to cooperate with an edge of the roofing membrane to move the frame along and parallel to the edge of the membrane. The guide member may be adjustable to permit the edge guide to be moved relative to the blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,697 issued Jan. 29, 1985 to Stanley Ruff discloses a plasterboard trimming tool consisting of two parallel arms interconnected by a web and having lateral guiding surfaces which face one another and confine the marginal portion of the plasterboard between themselves in operation. A transverse guide surface is provided in the web and a pair of cutting blades is mounted in respective holders at the same distance from the transverse guiding surface, the cutting blades having respective cutting edges which partially penetrate into the plasterboard to form continuous straight scoring cuts therein across the plasterboard from one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,884 issued Aug. 9, 1988 to Peter D. Nguyen, et al., describes a metal skin cutting device which cuts an edge of a first metal skin to a net shape that is complementary to the edge of a second metal skin that has been previously attached to a frame, such as the airframe of an aircraft fuselage. A guide carried by the device is adjustable to set the gap that will appear between the edges of the first and second metal skins when they are attached as by riveting to the airframe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4.903,409 issued Feb. 27, 1990 to Stuart N. Kaplan, et al. discloses a drywall scribing and scoring tool for a typical wallboard, comprising a knife holding unit and scribe units which can be adjusted along a scale on an elongated arm of a T-square member. When the short head portion of the T-square member is slid along one edge of the wall board by a person the tool will cut a score into the wall board for breaking the wall board to a predetermined size.
It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide an improved edge cutter trim tool which is usefully employed for cutting webs of carpet, vinyl tile, or other sheet form material.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention are more fully apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.